Monday 28 January 2019

LAVANDE by Fragonard

January can often seem a little quiet on the fragrance front with many perfume houses simply finishing their winter sales or concentrating on their upcoming spring releases. One company that always delivers a very welcome burst of warmth at this time of year however is Fragonard with their Flower of the Year series. The concept of the range is simple, take one key ingredient and present it in an original yet easily accessible way. Lavender has been chosen as Fragonard's "olfactory signature" for 2019 and the task of interpreting it has again been given to Céline Ellena, but how will she twist this very familiar scent?

Monday 21 January 2019

ENCENS MYTHIQUE by Guerlain

One of the challenges faced by companies when introducing a new fragrance is ensuring that it doesn’t conflict with an existing release. One way around this is to create “capsule collections” and one of the masters of this is undoubtedly Guerlain, but even they occasionally have to reposition their fragrances. This happened with their Les Déserts d’Orient and Les Absolus d’Orient collections because both exhibited similar styles. When Les Déserts d’Orient was retired it was also thought that its fragrances had also gone, but they have just been rereleased in the Absolus series. So, it’s time to rediscover Encens Mythique.

Thursday 17 January 2019

FIRE LIVING COLOGNE by Tessa Williams

One of the constant pressures on fragrance companies is whether to release a new scent each year or rework an existing one by adding a flower here or a woody note there. The public’s constant demand for newness often sees a rapid succession of similarity, but one company has chosen to go in a different direction by reintroducing a truly adaptive product instead of a new scent. Tessa Williams has launched a “living cologne” version of her successful Fire home fragrance and it makes you wonder why this style ever fell out of fashion. With this in mind, let me show you a new way to beat the January blues.

Monday 14 January 2019

OLD BOOKS by The Perfumer's Story

In the world of fragrance, new perfume releases seem to come so quickly that it’s impossible to catch every one at the time if its debut. Perfumes get overlooked or overshadowed by brighter, bigger, or louder launches, and some real gems can often get lost amongst the noise. One such fragrance is Old Books by Azzi Glasser for The Perfumer’s Story. It arrived on the scene in 2015 and is still something of a secret amongst patchouli lovers. In a market saturated with voluminous scent, Azzi has always retained her delicacy of touch and Old Books truly is an emotional breath of fresh air.

Monday 7 January 2019

CAMEL by Zoologist Perfumes

The word “animalic” is often used to describe fragrances that are musk-laden, dangerously resinous, or that exude a carnal sensuality. It’s gone far beyond mere ingredients and instead has almost become a subversive trend of its own. The level of animalic-ness varies from company to company but there is one brand that is pushing the limits to breaking point. With fragrances that don’t obey the “rules” and a concept that, six years on, is still extraordinary, Victor Wong has sailed Zoologist right into the eye of the storm and the results are wonderfully challenging. So, from Bat to Beaver, it’s time to “talk to the animals.”